The Darkest Nights
by Dracuncula
Summary: Hoyt might be gone forever but sometimes Jane's deepest fears still come back to haunt her. Rizzles.


**Quick one-shot, because personally I find that Hoyt stories never really go out of fashion - particularly since it was a storyline with so much unused potential. Needless to say, I do not own the characters of R&I.**

* * *

_When Jane comes to, the air around her smells damp and is heavy with dust. The cold earthen floor underneath her body makes Jane shiver with a chill that seems to creep right into her bones. Her hair is sticking to her face with sweat and her every muscle hurts. _

_She knows that he is there even though she cannot see him. It's a feeling, like a sixth sense, sending ice cold shivers down her spine, signalling his threatening presence. She cannot hear him come but she knows he is getting closer. Still, she yelps with shock when he grabs her shoulder and roughly turns her around so that her spine painfully collides with the hard ground. _

_It is then that she sees his face; Hoyt's cruel sneer, the delight at her fear so apparent in his leering expression. Jane begins to shake, knowing that she has to move, to try to defend herself, try to get away, but her body won't comply. She is frozen, completely paralysed. She desperately tries to will her muscles to obey, but it doesn't work. It never does. _

_She watches helplessly as Hoyt picks up the first scalpel. It seems like a small eternity, waiting for the pain she knows is going to come, but eventually he thrusts the scalpel down. _

_Jane feels it pierce the skin of her palm, feels it penetrate her soft tissue, feels it cut through tendon and muscle, feels how it severs the nerves and the tingling sensation that suddenly runs through her middle and ring finger. She can hear the sickening sound of the blade scraping along her metacarpals and feels the skin on the back of her hand break as the sharp blade runs through her hand and pins her to the ground. _

_Jane wants to scream at the top of her lungs but all that escapes her is a muffled groan. She wants to look away but she can't; the image of Hoyt's excitement at her suffering forever etched into her mind. _

_She sees the silver glint of the second scalpel, sees how Hoyt looks at the blade, then at Jane, knowing that she knows what he is going to do with it. She feels the heel of his shoe crushing her wrist against the floor and she watches him raise the blade, watches as it sears down to pierce her palm to the ground. _

_Panic and fear are rising now that she is captured, pinned down, the pain growing stronger with each passing second. She watches as Hoyt carefully picks up the third scalpel, his eyes boring into hers as the deadly blade slowly sinks down to come to rest at her throat. Jane knows that any minute now Korsak must arrive, that he must burst through the door, guns blazing, and take Hoyt down before he can finish her off. Her eyes frantically search for the door, thinking that any second now her partner will show. But he never does. _

"_You're mine now, Jane. No one is coming for you." she hears Hoyt whisper into her ear and his voice makes her shudder. She can do nothing but watch as Hoyt presses the sharp scalpel to her throat, breaking her skin, pressing it deeper and deeper still, slicing through vital blood vessels, a warm gush that is her own blood washing over her. _

_Her eyes find the door once again in a desperate, last feeling of hope, but it does not open. There is no one coming to rescue her._

* * *

Jane's eyes open to complete darkness as she jerks awake to sit upright with shock. Her hands fly to her throat, instantly finding her rapidly beating pulse under the soft skin that is still unblemished. Blinking, her vision adjusts to the darkness and she dimly becomes aware that she is in her own bed, soaked in sweat, messy hair sticking to her forehead and silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

The dream is always the same. She always wakes up at exactly the same point, the panic of it all still fresh in her mind. She starts rubbing the scars on her palms; they ache with the faint memory of the pain the scalpels caused. Jane breathes deeply, trying to calm herself down by chanting the mantra _'it was all just a dream' _silently in her head, by reminding herself that Hoyt is gone, and this time for good. But it isn't working.

Jane snivels, unable to stop the tears from running, shivering as the fresh night's air rapidly cools down her sweat soaked body. Sobs are escaping her now and she runs her hands over her face and through her hair, willing the terror to go away.

It is then that she feels the mattress next to her shift, hears the soft rustle of the duvet. When she turns her head she sees the shape of Maura's body sitting next to her, the sleepy look on her face penetrated by concern. She squints a little to be able to make out Jane in the darkness and when she sees her tear-streaked face she knows. She moves to gently pull a shaking Jane into her embrace.

There is no need for words because Maura knows exactly what has caused this. The night terrors have become less, but sometimes they still haunt Jane. Maura lifts a hand to brush the sweat-slicked hair from Jane's forehead while her other hand rubs soothing circles on her back.

Slowly Jane relaxes and the tension falls from her. The shivers become less as she allows herself to lean against Maura and soak up her warmth, listening as she whispers meaningless things into her ear. Maura presses a gentle kiss to her forehead before slowly easing Jane back into the pillows with her.

Jane sighs, the rest of the tension falling from her as Hoyt's face slowly fades into the darkness again. She nestles her head into the crook of Maura's neck and a soft sound of relief escapes her when Maura takes her hands in hers, gently massaging her palms, knowing that it will ease the pain, even if it is not real but only a memory.

It takes a while but eventually Jane drifts off into a slumber. Maura waits until the deep and even breathing pattern tells her that Jane has truly fallen asleep again, only then allowing her own eyes to close.

Holding Jane tightly pressed up against her Maura knows that at least for tonight, Hoyt will not come back.


End file.
